Maiwa's Revenge eBook

I held my revolver, which was secured to my wrist
by a leather thong. The pistol was cocked, and
I simply pointed it downwards and fired. The
result was instantaneous—­and so far as
I am concerned, most satisfactory. The bullet
hit the man beneath me somewhere, I am sure I don’t
know where; at any rate, he let go of my leg and plunged
headlong into the gulf beneath to join Gobo. In
another moment I was on the top of the rock, and going
up the remaining steps like a lamplighter. A
single other soldier appeared in pursuit, but one
of my boys at the top fired my elephant gun at him.
I don’t know if he hit him or only frightened
him; at any rate, he vanished whence he came.
I do know, however, that he very nearly hit me,
for I felt the wind of the bullet.

“Another thirty seconds, and I and the woman
Maiwa were at the top of the cliff panting, but safe.

“My men, being directed thereto by Maiwa, had
most fortunately rolled up some big boulders which
lay about, and with these we soon managed to block
the passage through the overhanging ridge of rock in
such fashion that the soldiers below could not possibly
climb over it. Indeed, so far as I could see,
they did not even try to do so—­their heart
was turned to fat, as the Zulus say.

“Then having rested a few moments we took up
the loads, including the tusks of ivory that had cost
us so dear, and in silence marched on for a couple
of miles or more, till we reached a patch of dense
bush. And here, being utterly exhausted, we camped
for the night, taking the precaution, however, of
setting a guard to watch against any attempt at surprise.”

VI—­THE PLAN OF CAMPAIGN

“Notwithstanding all that we had gone through,
perhaps indeed on account of it, for I was thoroughly
worn out, I slept that night as soundly as poor Gobo,
round whose crushed body the hyaenas would now be prowling.
Rising refreshed at dawn we went on our way towards
Nala’s kraal, which we reached at nightfall.
It is built on open ground after the Zulu fashion,
in a ring fence and with beehive huts. The cattle
kraal is behind and a little to the left. Indeed,
both from their habits and their talk it was easy
to see that these Butiana belong to that section of
the Bantu people which, since T’Chaka’s
time, has been known as the Zulu race. We did
not see the chief Nala that night. His daughter
Maiwa went on to his private huts as soon as we arrived,
and very shortly afterwards one of his head men came
to us bringing a sheep and some mealies and milk with
him. ‘The chief sent us greeting,’
he said, ’and would see us on the morrow.’
Meanwhile he was ordered to bring us to a place of
resting, where we and our goods should be safe and
undisturbed. Accordingly he led the way to some
very good huts just outside Nala’s private enclosure,
and here we slept comfortably.